Falcon Fiesta tournament wrap

By Adam Paul
Updated: April 2, 2022

2022 EAST COUNTY PREP SOFTBALL

By Adam Paul

The East County was well represented on the final day of the twenty-fifth annual Falcon Fiesta Tournament with four teams making their consolation final and one making the semi-finals of the Platinum Division.

A lot of exciting softball on Saturday as four of the five contests featuring teams from out the East County were decided by a single run.

Championship Round
Poway 8, Helix 7
POWAY – In the championship semifinals, the Poway Titans nipped the visiting Helix Highlanders, 8-7.

The second semifinal saw Rancho Bernardo whip Bonita Vista, 6-1, then the Broncos went on to paste Poway, 7-5, for the championship.

Consolations

Granite Hills 6, Rancho Buena Vista 5

SAN DIEGO (4-2-22) – Late inning two-out heroics in the bottom of the seventh were carried out by Kamryn Flath (2-3, R, RBI) as she drove in the winning run that would give the Granite Hills Eagles the victory.

The Eagles after getting out of a first-inning jam would take an early 3-0 lead in the bottom of the first when Audrey Smale (3-4, 2 R, 2 RBI, 3B) roped a two-run triple scoring both Chantelle Gonzalez (RUN) and Kailey Sandoval 1-4, R), Breanna Diaz (1-4, R, RBI) followed with a ground ball out that allowed Smale to race home safely.

The Longhorns would answer in the top of the third inning with a run to pull within 3-1 and in the top of the fifth inning take a 4-3 lead as they pushed across three runs.

Granite Hills would tie the game up in the bottom of the sixth inning on a base hit by Sofia Mujica (3-4, 2B) but the ball was misplayed allowing Flath to score but RBV would answer with a run in the top of the seventh to retake the lead 5-4.

Down to their final at-bat, the Eagles started off right as Smale singled to lead off, Diaz followed hitting a ball to third base that was misplayed, and both would advance on a sacrifice.

With runners on second and third and only one out Taylor Rose would knock in Smale to tie the game at 5-5 and advance Diaz to third on a ground out setting up Flath and her roped game-winning base hit to center field.

Rose would get the win as she came into the game in relief in which she allowed one run on two hits over three innings, KK Baugher started for the Eagles. She allowed four runs on seven hits over four innings and walked one.

Granite Hills has now won three in a row and improved its record to 10-5-1 on the season.

Grossmont 3, Ramona 2 (8 inn.)

FLETCHER HILLS (4-2-22) – Eliana Vasquez (1-4, RBI) only had one hit on the day for the Foothillers but that one hit was a huge one as her game-winning single to right field in the bottom of the eighth inning would give Grossmont the victory on Saturday over Ramona.

The pitching for Grossmont was strong as Dezirae Miller went all eight innings to get the victory in which she allowed two runs on four hits while fanning seven on the day.

Grossmont would make their opportunities count on the offensive side starting with Na’Khia Lee (RBI) would knock in Katelynn Parent (2-3, R, 2B) on a ground ball out to give them a 1-0 lead.

The visiting Bulldogs would finally answer in the top of the fifth inning when they would push a run across to tie the game at 1-1.

Neither team despite opportunities would do anything in regulation so it was onto the eighth inning.

Now in extra innings, each team would start with a runner on second base and Ramona would advance their runner over to third base but would have two outs. The Bulldogs would score the run on a base hit to take a 2-1 lead.

Grossmont in their half of the eighth would start with Ashley Beard (RUN) at second base, she would advance to third base on a sacrifice and scored when Ramona uncorked a wild pitch which tied the game at 2-2.

Still, only one out Jade Daley (2-3, R) would single to left field, she would advance to second when Parent followed with a base hit which set up Vasquez who came up and on a 0-1 count laced a base hit right field that scored Daley to end the game.

With the win, the Foothillers improve their record to 9-6 on the season.

Patrick Henry 12, Westview 4 (5 inn.)

DEL CERRO (4-2-22) – Two big returns paid dividends for the Patrick Henry Patriots on Saturday as both Olivia Gigante (4-4, 3 R, 3 RBI, HR) and Kaiah Altmeyer (4-4, 3 R, 2B) made their season debuts and helped spark the Patriots who raked out twenty hits on the day in their victory.

Right away Altmeyer started off as she led off with a triple in the top of the first inning, she would come into score thanks to a single to center field by Malia Savage (4-4, 3 R, 3 RBI, 2B), she would be out at second base before Savannah Sutton walked which was followed by a base hit by Gigante. With runners on first and second Leila Ludwig (4-4, R, RBI, 2B) came up and laced a base hit to load the bases.

The next batter Jenel Mallari (2-3, R, 3 RBI, 2B) would draw a walk to bring home Josi Alvarado who came into run for Sutton to plate and give the Patriots a 2-0 lead.

Westview despite trailing would take the momentum back momentarily as they pushed across three runs in the bottom of the first inning to lead 3-2.

Patrick Henry would answer right back though in the top of the second inning when Savage would double in Altmeyer who doubled with one out to tie the game at 3-3, a couple of batters later with two outs Gigante would give the Patriots the lead with a base hit to center field that allowed Savage to come around and score, Ludwig followed with an RBI double to extend the lead 5-3.

Savage would knock in Altmeyer in the top of the third inning to make it 6-3, and a couple of batters later Gigante who last season hit sixteen homers would belt her first of the season as she blasted a two-run shot over the center-field fence to give the Patriots an 8-3 lead.

Despite giving up another run to the Wolverines the Patriots still led 8-4 and would add more in the top of the fifth inning thanks to Gigante who knocked in Savage which was followed later by a two-run double by Mallari and Ka’imi De Guzman (2-3, RBI) would finish things with a base hit to left field scoring Mallari to make it 12-4.

Emily Hanna who got the start was able to finish things out in the bottom of the fifth inning allowing only a base hit before retiring the following batter and completing the victory as the game was called due to the run rule.

Hanna would get the victory as she allowed four runs on six hits over five innings of work, she also struck out one on the day.

Mission Hills 4, Steele Canyon 3

ESCONDIDO (4-2-22) – A pair of runs scored in the bottom of the sixth inning down the Steele Canyon Cougars as the Mission Hills Grizzlies pull out the come from behind victory on Saturday.

The Cougars would push across the first run with two outs in the top of the first when Jazmin Williams (2-3, R) scored on a passed ball. However, the Grizzlies answered to tie the game in the bottom half of the inning.

Back-to-back one-out singles by Abby Curran (2-4, 2 R) and Williams and a two-out single by Kamea Seunarine (1-3) followed by a hit ball by Janea Wilson that was misplayed allowing Curran to score would give the Cougars a 2-1 lead.

But the Grizzlies in the bottom of the fourth would again tie things up with the first of two home runs on the day.

Steele Canyon would again though retake the lead in the top of the fifth inning as both Curran and Williams hit back-to-back singles to start the inning off. Both would advance to second and third via stealing and Curran would race home and score when the Grizzlies uncorked a wild pitch which gave the Cougars a 3-2 lead.

Mission Hills down to their final at-bats would tie the game on a leadoff solo home run which was followed by back-to-back base hits and with two outs the winning run would be knocked in.

Emma Shellstrom who got the nod for the Cougars took the loss going six innings, allowing thirteen hits and four runs while striking out four on the day.